Friction-clutch.



A. R. ROBERTSON.

lllllllll HUGH.- LICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1915 APP 1 ,265,81 6 g PatentedMay 14, 1918.

Wwnesses:

ANDREW ROBERT ROBERTSON, 0F GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

rnrcrron-onnrcnt.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May it, 1918.

Application filed .1 une 12, 1915. Serial No. 33,662.

To all whom it may concern Be it renown that 1, ANDREW ROBERT Ron reasona subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing in Glasgow,Scotland, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements inFriction-Clutches, of which t e following is a specification.

lhis invention relates to the general class riction clutches and moreparticularly to ales or connecting a motor shaft to a e main objects ofthe invention is to provide a clutch which is highly flexible whereby totake up or absorb the vibrations which tend to return to the motor withits consequent injurious effects.

Still another object of the invention is toprovide such a clutch wherebythe angular displacement of one shaft relative to the other will befully compensated for so that neither the efficiency of the clutch willbe impaired by such angular displacement, nor the respective shaftsthereby subjected to extra wear.

To this end, an arrangement of clutch is provided in which looselymounted blocks are disposed to be actuated by a driving shaft and to bethrust into engagement, by centrifugal force, with a coupling fast onthe driven shaft, thereby to fiexibly'tie the driving shaft with thedriven shaft so that the driven shaft will be actuated by said drivingshaft, in which arrangement, the blocks are so mounted that they will besubjected to the fewest possible confining forces, .viz: the force torotate them and the consequent centrifugal force.

A particular feature of the mounting of the friction blocks is theirfreedom in an axial or longitudinal direction by means of which thedriving shaft and the driven shaft may either move from one another orapproach one another in an axial direction within certain limits withoutin any way impairing the clutchin effectiveness.

A still further ob ect of the invention is to provide wooden frictionblocks for such clutch arrangement, which blocks are light in weight,durable and easily replaced in case of wear.

These and other features, capabilities and advantages of the inventionwill appear from the subjoined detailed description of one specificembodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which-Figure 1 shows a fragmentary view in elevation of a motor housingmounted on a stool, parts being broken away to show the verticallydisposed motor spindle, the vertically disposed driven spindle, and theclutchfor connecting the two.

Fig.9 is an. enlarged detail view partly in section of the clutch shownin Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2looking upward and in thedirection of-the arrows.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, there is provided a stool 1 partlybroken away on which is secured the motor housing 2 in which a motor issuitably mounted, the vertically disposed motor spindle or drivingequipped with ashaft 3 being shown as block engaging member 4 fastened"to the lower end of saidshaft 3.

The stool 1- is provided with a downwardly extending cone shaped bearinmember 5 in which is disposed a cone-s aped flexible member or conoidalbufier 6 preferably composed of india rubber or the like, in which inturn is disposed the ball or roller bearing housing 7 containing theball and roller bearing 8 through which extends the driven spindle orshaft 9 equipped at its up per end with a coupling 10, at the lower endof which coupling there is secured a conical bushing 11 resting in theupper end of the bushing 12 of the bearing 8. Below the bearing member5, a brake pulley 13 is secured to the driven shaft 9.

The coupling 10 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is preferably a cup-shapedmember in which friction blocks ll, preferably composed of wood, areloosely disposed, the annular wall 15 of the coupling extendingsubstantially at right angles to the base 16 thereof. The bl0cks.14.-preferably have a curved surface 17 to rest against the annular wall 15,and a plane surfaces 18 against which engage the enlarged portions 19 ofthe fingers 20 of the block engaging member or spindle 4. The fingers 19are referably bent inward toward the center of the shaft 3, as shown at21, before extending upward, whereby the blocks 14 will be preventedfrom being displaced toward the center of the couplingmember 10.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the driven members may removefrom or approach toward the driving members of the respective clutcharrangements in an axial direction within certain predetermined limitswithout in any way impairing the nal arrangement ref ain so -novernentof such a 'ts driving member;

It will fu shofl l the hearing 1 oosition blue to 1 intlia rubber but.6, or through Wear of respective parts of the connection, he con tsettling or downward dispiacet of the tlriren spin-{lie Swill in anyait'ect the club ling efficiency the his lisince they will move downwith coupling l0 and the engagement 20 with such blocks Wiil allpurposes, be just the same. it is obvious that various changes andmodifications may be made to the details of sons ruction Withoutdeparting from the i oral spirit oi the invention.

n laiin: 1., in a friction clutc the combination of a. driving shaft;adriven shaft; a cupshaped member secured to the driven shallt; a blockengaging ineniber secured to driving shaft and comprising arins eachprovided at its outer end With substantially cylindrical enlargementhaving its axis substantially arallel to saicl shafts; and frictionblocks each having a curved face adaptecl to contact the inner face ofthe Waii of said cup-shaped ineniber each block being provided withbeveled end faces respectively adapted to contact one of saielenlargements.

1 i i i, that. change its .sing 4 e W691 or settling oi" 2. ln afriction clutch combina ion of a pair of vertical substantially alinetls its;

cnp-shapecl member on the lower shalt" y, downwariiiy is; a eylinclrictieel ..li'lo on ction blocks tli or the cnpshapecl taeinber and cesndented to engage saicl enlargeme combination with a Verticail i nosed.driving shaft and a Vertically oi i so riven shaft below saicl drivingsha driving shaft; vneans comprising fingers extending clown- Warrllyinto said cup-shaped. m mber their 'r e ends with vertically rlisposeclcylindrieniareementsr anal blocks loose anrl merlisnosec al hanioaliytree .neinber ancl between saidenlargernents; the lower portions of saidfingers being bent inwarrliy a sufiicient (listance for saiclenlargements to term guides for saitl blocks; said blocks being engagedby saicl enlargen ents anti rotated. thereby so as to be thrust outwardby centrifugal force into engage ment with the annular Wall of saielcupshepecl member; the fingers in their down- Warcl extent forming aspace between them so that they Wili never act to bind the blocksagainst the coupling member when driven shaft is angularly displacedrelative said driving CD CD i in said cup-shaped AllllREW RQBERB lttlbfl TSQLL the e r U

